A change of shoes changed Texas A&M's fortunes in win over Arkansas

ARLINGTON, Texas (KBTX) - The military tradition that surrounds Texas A&M typically leaves little room for individualism. It's a characteristic that carried over to the Aggie football program, which seldom strays from a classic football uniform style.

And yet, a little custom flair was the necessary recipe to bring zest to a bland A&M offensive effort in the final edition of the Southwest Classic at AT&T Stadium.

The rivalry trophy between A&M and Arkansas is headed back to College Station for the undetermined future after the 24th-ranked Aggies downed the Razorbacks 21-17, and the 12th Man just might have running back Le'Veon Moss' shoes to thank.

"I feel like I play better when I feel different from everyone else," a typically soft-spoken Moss said after the game.

Saturday's matchup billed A&M's (4-1, 2-0 in SEC) eighth-ranked rushing offense against Arkansas' (3-2, 1-1 in SEC) running defense that ranked 14th in the nation. It provided Moss, A&M's feature back, a platform to prove he is a top-five rusher in the Southeastern Conference, entering with an average 88.5 yards per game.

For the occasion, he made a change to his typical wardrobe. He donned the same plain white cleats that was uniform for the rest of his teammates and took the field in Dallas Cowboys' home, seemly without any of his power.

Despite early haymakers from both teams — a 75-yard touchdown reception from Razorback wide out Isaac TeSlaa and a 58-yard touchdown catch by A&M wide receiver Noah Thomas — A&M's offense looked lethargic due to the absence of a rushing presence. At halftime, with the game tied at 14, the Aggies mustered 46 total rushing yards. Moss claimed 22 of those on five carries with a long of eight early in the first quarter and a slight nagging injury kept him limited early in the game, head coach Mike Elko said.

"He was kind of working through some different things and we finally got him healthy and ready to roll when it was time," Elko said.

Somehow, the third quarter was worse. A&M tallied no total rushing yards in the frame and only 23 yards of total offense. From A&M's second touchdown of the game, a 5-yard run by quarterback Marcel Reed with nine minutes to halftime, through the next six drives, the Aggies ran 23 plays for 63 yards. Three of those drives were three-and-outs. The longest gained 20 yards. All ended in either a punt or the end of the first half.

"The plays were not getting run exactly the way we had designed them to be run or we weren't getting the right people the ball at the right times," Elko said. "So, we had to take some ownership on what happened."

Midway through the third quarter, Moss decided something needed to change. The next time he took the field, his neon cleats radiated, matching the vibrant mouth guard hanging from his face mask. It's the same combination he's worn for the majority of his carries this season, he said.

"I needed to do something," Moss said. "That's how I express myself, through my cleanest and changing colors and stuff... I changed them up, beginning of the third quarter, I changed them up and just went uphill from that."

Early in the fourth quarter, Arkansas regained the lead on a 45-yard field goal from kicker Kyle Ramsey and A&M's chances were looking thin with a third and 4 on the Aggie 49. Moss took the handoff and disappeared in to a mass of linemen only to burst from the other side, neon feet carrying the back 23 yards.

While the play provided the Aggies a game-winning boost, it felt commonplace to Moss.

"I don't remember much [of the play]," he said. "I just be balling, really. I ain't going to lie."

It was the first of three consecutive carries that amassed 46 yards and took the Aggies to the Razorback 5-yard line. A&M punched the game-winning score into the end zone on the next play, a run-pass option toss from Reed to tight end Tre Watson that called for a simple few steps to cross the goal line.

Moss and his sweet cleats were called upon three more times to put ice on the game, including a 30-yard rush with five minutes to play. The junior totaled a career-high 117 rushing yards in the game, 90 of which came in the fourth quarter while wearing his individualistic cleats.

"It was beautiful," A&M defensive end Nic Scourton said of Moss' performance. "I'm a big fan of [Moss]. I love the way Lev plays. He runs the ball super hard. Watching him go out there and make plays and watching the offense go out there and make plays, it was special. I couldn't sit down."

Scourton solidified the defensive line, tallying two sacks, four tackles for loss and forced a fumble at the end of the game that ended Arkansas' attempt at a comeback.

"I don't know if they made a lot of adjustments besides their kids blocked a little bit better," Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman said. "The running backs ran a little bit harder, maybe. They went at us late in the game where they were running a little bit on the outside, running more stretch plays early in the half and early in the third quarter. They started going at us late in the game and had more success with it."

After the game, A&M's players didn't wait until the end of "The Aggie War Hymn" to get their hands on the Southwest Classic trophy, presented by Dallas Cowboys' owner — and Arkansas alumnus — Jerry Jones. With the Southwest Classic contract expiring after this year, the game will return to Fayetteville next season. The Southeastern Conference has yet to decide upon a scheduling format past the 2025 season, so a yearly meeting between the teams remains uncertain, as does the fate of the trophy.

While all that gets sorted out for years to come, Moss knows exactly where the trophy will be, thanks to his superstitious fashion choices.

"The focus was just bringing that trophy back on the plane with us," he said. "We knew we were going to finish this game the right way."